Truck for rail vehicles



Feb. 19, 1952 A s, KROTZ 2,586,061

TRUCK FOR RAIL VEHICLES Original Filed Nov. 26, 1943 Patented Feb. 19,1952 TRUCK FOR RAIL VEHICLES Alvin S. Krotz, Akron, Ohio, assignor toThe B. F.

Goodrich Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Originalapplication November 26, 1943, Serial No.

511,776.V Divided and this application February 15, 1946, Serial No.647,803

Claims. ll This invention relates to ,vehicle trucks and moreparticularly to trucks for vehicles operated upon rails. The presentapplication is a division of my application Serial No. 511,776, filedNovember 26, 1943, now abandoned.

With increase in the speeds of operation of railway trains and similarrail operated vehicles it has become desirable to provide more effectivecushioning of the load, to improve riding comfort, and to reduce noiseand vibration.

The principal objects of the present invention are to provide moreeffective cushioning of the load, to damp out shock and vibration, toreduce side roll of the vehicle, to provide improved springing of thewheels of the truck, to provide convenient adjustment of the cushioningmeans.

These and other objects will appear from the following description andthe accompanying' drawings.

Of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a rail truck constructed in accordance with andembodying the invention in one of its forms, parts being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view thereof taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a portion thereof,

parts being broken away.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral IIJ designates a truck framecomprising a pair of side frames II, I2 connected to each other by crossmembers I3, I4, I5 and I6.

For supporting the load of the vehicle from the frame, a bolster I1 isprovided extending crosswise of the truck and has a king pin aperture I8for receiving a king pin, and a center bearing thereabout for rotatablypivoting the truck with respect to the vehicle body about a verticalaxis. The bolster issuspended from the frame I0 by stirrup bars 2lextending thereunder and pivotally connected to the frame by links 22,23. Suitable guides I4a, I5a on the frame prevent fore and aft movementof the bolster with respect to the frame but permit movement of thebolster crosswise of the truck. Wheels 2l, 28 are fixed to an axle 26 atone end of the truck and similar wheels are fixed to a similar axle atthe other end thereof.

For guiding the journal boxes 24, within which the axle 26 is rotatablyjournaled, the frame members II, I2 are formed with depending pedestalssuch as 30, 3| (see Fig. 3) at an axle position. These lconfine thejournal boxes but permit vertical movement thereof. ,Similar pedestalsconfine the boxes about the Lother axle.

For resiliently cushioning and transmitting the load from the frame I0to the axles, torsion bush ing structures 34, 35, 36, 31 are provided.Each torsion bushing structure has a hollow cylindrical housing such as38, a shaft 39 of greater length extending therethrough in thelongitudinal direction of the truck, and a resilient body or bushing 40of rubber or other rubber-like material between the housing and theshaft and fixed to the housing at its outer surface and to the shaft atits inner surface as by a bond vulcanization. The shafts are adjustablysecured to the frame I0 and for this purpose their ends are clampedagainst half-round seats formed on the cross members of the frame, as bycap members 4I held by bolts 42, 43. The caps and the shafts may bekeyed to each other and preferably have intertting serrations foradjustably securing them together at diiierent angular positions.

Each housing member has a pair of parallel arms 44, 45 fixed thereto andextending substantially horizontally toward the sides of the truck. Arms44, 45 are pivotally secured to yoke arms 46, 4'I (see Fig. 3) of ajournal box 24 by links 4S, 49. The arrangement is such that the load`f= on the frame IIJ is transmitted through the armsl of the fourtorsion bushing structures to the four journal boxes in which the axlesrotate.

As the torsion bushings have their axes close to the center line of thetruck with their axes extending in the direction of travel and theirarms extending toward the sides of the truck, side roll of the truckunder loads causing deflection of the arms is reduced to a minimum. Thisresults as each degree of arm rotation caused by torsional deflection ofthe torsion bushings will represent a very small angle of tilt or rollof the coach body since the outer ends of the spring arms are widelyspaced.

The term rubber-like material as used in the specification and claimsincludes natural rubber and synthetic plastic materials and compositionsthereof having the properties of elasticity, resilience, anddeformability under pressure and capability of being vulcanized andbonded by vulcanization to metals in a manner similar to natural rubber.

These and other variations may be made Without departing from the scopeof the invention as it is defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A truck for a rail vehicle, said truck cornprising a pair of parallelWheeled axles each having a pair of wheels fixed thereto in spaced-apartrelation, a truck-frame structure comprising a pair of side-framemembers and means holding 3. them in xed parallel relation, saidside-frame members having vertical guideways, journal bearings eachslideably mounted for vertical movement in said guideways for journalingthe ends of said axles, pairs of resilient spring structures mounted onsaid truck-frame structure for supporting said frame structure from saidaxles, there being one spring structure at each side of the longitudinalcenter line of the truck for each of said axles, each said springstructure comprising a housing member, an inner member extendingtherethrough in spaced-apart relation thereto, and an intermediate bodyof resilient rubber-like material therebetween and secured to saidmembers, one of said members of each spring structure being xed to saidcar-supporting frame structure with the axis of the spring structureparallel to and adjacent said center line of the truck, and the othersaid member of each spring structure having an arm extending toward theside of the truck with its end supported by and connected to a journalbearing at an end of an axle for swinging movement of said armv uponvertical movement of said journal bearing in its guideway.

2. A truck for a rail vehicle, said truck comprising a pair of parallelwheeled axles each having a pair of wheels fixed thereto in spacedapartrelation, a truck-frame structure comprising a pair of side-framemembers and means holding them in xed parallel relation, said sideframemembers having vertical guideways, journal bearings'each slideablymounted for vertical movement'in said guideways for journaling the endsof said axles, pairs of resilient spring structures" mounted on saidtruck-frame structure for supporting said frame structure from saidaxles, there being one spring structure at each side of the longitudinalcenter line of the truck for each of said axles, each said springstructure comprising a housing member, an inner member extendingtherethrough in spaced-apart relation thereto, and an intermediate bodyof resilient rubber-like material therebetween and secured to saidmembers, one of said members of each spring 'structure being xed to saidcar-supporting' structure with the axis of the spring structure`parallel to and adjacent the said longitudinal center line of the truck,and the other said member of each spring structure having an armextending toward the side of the truck for swinging movement of said armupon vertical movement of said journal bearin-g in its guideway, andlink means pivotally connecting and supporting said arm from a journalbearing at an end of an axle.

3. A truck for a rail vehicle, said truck comprising a pair of parallelWheeled axles each having a pair of wheels xed thereto in spaced-apartrelation,v a truck-frame structure including lateral spacing members anda pairvof parallel sideframe members held inA spaced-apart relationthereby, said side-frame members having vertical guideways, journalbearings each slideably mounted for vertical movement in said guidewaysfor journaling the ends of said axles, pairs of resilient springstructures mounted on said car-supporting structure for supporting saidframe and axle, there being one spring structure at each side of thelongitudinal center line of the truck for each of said axles, each saidspring structure comprising a housing member, anA inner member extendingtherethrough in spaced-apart relation thereto, and an intermediate bodyof resilient rubber-like material therebetween and secured to saidmembers, said inner member of each spring structure being iixed to saidcar-supporting structure with the axis of the spring structure parallelto and adjacent the said longitudinal center line of the truck, and saidhousing member of each spring structure having an arm extending towardthe near side of the truck with its end supported by and connected to ajournal bearing at an end of an axle for swinging movement of said armupon vertical movement of said journal bearing in its guide- Way.

4. A truck for a rail vehicle, said truck comprising a pair of wheeledaxles each having a pair of wheels xed thereto in spaced-apart relation,a truck-frame structure having pairs of crossframe members fore and aftof its center and a pair of parallel side-frame members held inspaced-apart relation thereby and having vertical guideways forreceiving journal bearings, journal bearings slideably mounted in saidguideways for journaling the ends of said axles, pairs of resilientspring structures mounted on the cross-frame members of said framestructure, there being one spring structure at each side of thelongitudinal center line of the truck for each of said axles, each saidspring structure supporting the frame from an end of anaxle andcomprising a housing, a shaft extending therethrough in spaced-apartrelation thereto, and ashaft of each spring structure being xed at itslends to a pair of said cross-frame members of said frame with its axisparallel and adjacent the said longitudinal center line of the frame,and said housing of each spring structure having arms extending towardthe near side of the truck with their ends supported by and connected toa journal bearing at an end 4of an axle for swinging movement of saidarm upon vertical movement of said journal bearing in its guideway.

5. A truck for a rail vehicle, said truck comprising a pair of parallelwheeled axles each Having a pair of rail wheels xed thereto inspaced-apart relation, a truck-frame structure having pairs ofcross-frame members fore and aft of its center and a pair of parallelsideframe members held in spaced-apart relation thereby and havingvertical guideways for receiving journal bearings, journal bearings atthe ends of said axles, said journal bearings b eing slideably mountedfor vertical movement in said guideways, each journal bearing having ayoke mounted thereon with arms extending longitudinally of the truck,pairs of resilient spring structures mounted on thecross-frame membersof said frame structure, there. being a pair of said spring structuresfor each axle one at each side of the longitudinal center line of thetruck,

each said spring structure comprising a housing,l

a shaft extending therethrough in spaced-apart relation thereto, and anintermediate body of resilient rubber-like material therebetween andsecured to both said housing and said shaft, the shaft of each springstructure being secured to a pair of said cross-frame members of saidframe structure with its axis close to and parallel to the longitudinalcenter line of the truck, a pair of arms on each said housing, extendingtoward the near side of the truck for swinging movement of said armsupon vertical movement of said journal bearing in its guideway, andlinks pivotally connecting the outer ends of said arms of 5 6 saidhousing to the anrrns of a, journal bearing Number Name Date yoke tosupport said frame structure from said 2,242,030 Hicks May 13, 1941journal bearings said axles and said Wheels 2,251,698 Willson Aug. 5,1941 through said spring structures. 2,251,950 Piron Aug. 12, 1941 52,320,085 Ledwinka May 25, 1943 ALVIN S. KROTZ- 2,320,086 Lemvinkal May25, 1943 2,330,305 Muchnc Sept. 28, 1943 REFERENCES CITED 2,330,482Fageol sept. 2s, 1943 The following references are of record in the2,345,201 Krotz Mar. 28, 1944 file of this patent: 10 2,371,169 HickmanMar. 13, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,191,211 KratzFeb. 20, 1940

